


Change of Plans

by ArgyleMN



Series: It Couldn't Wait Another Moment [4]
Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coronavirus, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Smut, au in an au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25943662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgyleMN/pseuds/ArgyleMN
Summary: Living in NYC in March 2020 is redefining normal for Drake and Riley. Life doesn’t always go according to plan during a pandemic, after all. An AU of my "It Couldn't Wait Another Moment" universe (AU within an AU, if you will).
Relationships: Drake Walker/Main Character (The Royal Romance)
Series: It Couldn't Wait Another Moment [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1739290
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written in April of 2020 as NYC was in the thick of their COVID-19 peak. At that time, I was struggling to write a "realistic" future for Drake and Liu living in NYC without thinking about the harsher realities that 2020 might bring. This piece is more of a thought experiment, and is not my "canon" sequel for that universe ("Why Are We Still Waiting?" which will start posting soon). It does hint at some events from the first couple of chapters of that piece, but no major spoilers here.

Drake glanced up from his laptop as he heard the locks click on the apartment door, Riley and Anderson walking through a few seconds later. Riley unclasped Anderson’s leash and hung it on the hooks Drake had installed, followed by her coat and her keys, before sliding off her shoes and going straight into the kitchen to wash her hands. The space next to their door had become their “dirty zone.” For now, they weren’t changing all their clothing when they got back inside, but Drake was thinking that doing so should probably be their next step.

Taking Anderson out was now basically the only time either one of them left the apartment. With Riley being furloughed from her PR firm on Friday and Drake working from home for all of last week, there really wasn’t any other reason to do so. At the moment, they were doing okay for food and whatnot, but Drake was not looking forward to having to deal with that in the upcoming weeks. He wasn’t sure whether they should switch to just getting delivery that they could safely reheat, but exposing themselves to a new driver every couple of days, or if they should risk making a trip to Foodtown and stocking up for a few weeks just once. Deep down, he knew the latter was the better option, but neither of them had been to a bodega or grocery store in the past week, and he was kind of dreading it now that more people were starting to take this seriously since the schools were closed. Maybe he could pull out the box of five masks he’d bought when he was sanding down and repainting the dresser and see if he had one left for each of them.

For the past four days, with both of them with nowhere to be, they’d alternated who was leaving the relative safety of their apartment to get a little fresh air with the dog. Even before that, Riley was just going to work and coming straight home, and she’d been riding an old bicycle she bought from a coworker to avoid the subway. But now, she had nowhere to be and neither did he. On her first day at home, Drake had been reluctant to have Riley go out _at all_ now that she didn’t _need_ to do so. He’d seen the news stories about the hate crimes popping up against Asian Americans, and it seemed like an unnecessary risk. But he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to convince her to essentially become a shut in while he left the apartment a couple of times every day to walk Anderson. Plus, as she had pointed out, she was still in her 20s and wasn’t a former smoker, so by all accounts, she was medically a lower risk than him. Still, he got nervous every time she left and always felt a little better when she came back.

Overall, Drake knew things could be a lot worse for the two of them. Because of his conversations with Liam, he’d been slowly stocking up on nonperishables for the past month or so. He had not only a permanent job, but one with a law firm that allowed him to work from home. They had a one bedroom, not a studio, so Riley didn’t have to stay silent during his Zoom meetings with his boss or team. But losing Riley’s salary was certainly not great for them. They’d be okay for at least the next month, but going forward, things might get a little tight. Not only that, but Riley was clearly going stir crazy already, with no one to see and nothing to do. Well, nothing to do except send emails and make calls to Texas to postpone their wedding.

In the grand scheme of things, Drake knew that postponing a wedding was a minor loss. In fact, if that was the worst loss that they suffered at the end of all this, they would be very fortunate. And now that the president had banned travel from Europe, there was little chance of the majority of their already small guest list being able to make it. But it still sucked, particularly since they’d already had to postpone last year. 

He and Riley had talked about it last week, after the travel ban came down. Even though the wedding was seven weeks away, it had just seemed like the smart call to start cancelling things now instead of waiting until the last minute. The original plan had been for him to make the needed calls and whatnot since he was working from home, but since Riley now had infinite free time, she’d contacted everyone except his mother and aunt, who he had called over the weekend. His mother had been confused at first, saying she didn’t understand why they needed to postpone already and that she was sure it will have all “blown over” by May. Aunt Leona, on the other hand, had seemed pleased by the decision, telling him she was glad he wasn’t bringing that “Chinese virus” down to them from New York. Drake wasn’t sure whose response was more infuriating.

As Riley flopped down on the couch next to him, she let out a loud sigh. When he’d been working out of their apartment and she’d still been going into the office, they’d tried to maintain some distance at home. It had been pretty difficult, though. Although this place was way bigger than her old studio, they still just had the one bathroom, and obviously they were still sleeping in the same bed. Drake had known it had probably been smart of them to spread out as best they could, but he was kind of relieved when Riley had just curled up next to him on the couch this weekend, saying that it was stupid to try and pretend that they were even coming close to effectively socially distancing from one another. Plus, now that she wasn’t going into work, they basically carried the same risk of exposure. 

Although she was sitting next to him now, she didn’t make any move to actually touch him. Sensing she wanted to talk about something, he moved his laptop from his knees to the coffee table in front of them. Sure enough, her head landed in his lap not even a full minute later. This had become her habit over the years, to lay down on the couch and put her head across his lap whenever there was something she wanted to talk to him about, usually something serious that she didn’t _want_ to deal with but _knew_ they needed to deal with together.

“So, everything’s pushed back to November 7th,” she said after a couple of moments of silence, “We had to put down another deposit with the florist who was a real asshole about it, but the band, the photographer, and the caterers were really accommodating.” Her fingers traced random patterns across his forearm as she spoke, but her eyes remained closed, almost as if she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye and see their shared disappointment reflected there.

“Thanks, Liu. I’ll call Mom tomorrow and let her know.” 

“I did try for October, but the caterers and the florist didn’t have any availability.”

“November’s fine. If the weather’s shitty, we can just have the ceremony inside the barn and the reception in the house. Our guest list is tiny, anyway.”

His statement hung there in the air. There was kind of this unspoken agreement between the two of them to just be matter of fact about postponing. It was a global pandemic. It had to happen. Being upset about it wasn’t going to make things any better. But sometimes, it just hurt, thinking about all their planning and excitement that was just on hold again. The scattered pieces of wedding favors and leftover invitations and the planning binder that Hana had started for them that were visible in every corner of the apartment didn’t help either. They were now mixed in with stacks of dog food, rice, and paper towels, a grim blend of the future they wanted with their new reality.

They didn’t even have any place to tuck the wedding crap out of sight at this point, as their closets and cupboards were filled to the brim with extra supplies. But without a car, Drake had just wanted to make sure they could minimize trips out if… no, _when_ shit really hit the fan. And it’s not like they had that much storage space in their apartment anyway. But now they would have to live with constant reminders that they couldn’t get married and their lives were essentially on hold. 

He at least still had work to distract himself with. Now that Riley had cancelled everything, she really didn’t have anything she could focus on to distract herself. He just felt bad for her. “I’m sorry, Liu.”

“For what? None of this is your fault,” Riley said, her eyes popping open and gazing up at him, her hand continuing to trace patterns across the skin of his arm.

Drake sighed, dropping his head to the back of the couch and staring up at the ceiling. “I guess I feel guilty that I didn’t get us to Cordonia when I could.” He had been contemplating calling Savannah or Maxwell and seeing if they could come stay with them for a while. Leave the crazy population density that was New York City. Staying at the palace would mean bad optics for Liam, but he figured at least two of the three adults at Ramsford would probably be okay with hosting him and Riley and Anderson. But while he’d been weighing their options with Riley, Liam had closed all flights into Cordonia except for citizens returning home. Since Riley had never become a Cordonian citizen, they were out of luck. Drake knew that if he asked Liam, he would grant Riley some sort of royal exception, but he wasn’t going to put Liam in that position. The last thing Liam needed on his plate was making an accommodation for Riley.

Drake felt Riley’s head leave his lap, and soon her hands were on his shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Drake, we both were unsure if it was the right call.” 

He just shook his head. She could have had Maxwell to spend time with while he worked. Anderson could have gone on walks safely across the grounds and vineyards. But he hadn’t been decisive enough and now it was too late. “I should have seen the writing on the wall.”

“Look at me.” Her voice was firm and carried enough of an edge that Drake complied, tipping his head back to find Riley kneeling next to him on their couch, staring at him with eyes that were somehow intense and sympathetic simultaneously. “We _both_ were concerned about flying right now. We _both_ were unsure about being in a house with both a baby and a toddler and possibly bringing the infection to them. We _both_ wanted to wait to see what would happen. I don’t know why you insist on taking the blame here when we both weren’t sure if heading to Cordonia was the right call.”

“I just wish there was a way to protect you from this.”

She shook her head, “You think I don’t want that, too?”

“I know, Liu. I just feel like…” he trailed off, unable to finish his thoughts. He could have never imagined a situation where he couldn’t take care of her. Keep her safe. But there was nothing he could do about any of this. It just made him feel so powerless.

“Me too, Drake,” she said, tilting her head and sliding her hand down his arm and twining their fingers together. “But nothing else to do but ride this out. Well, that and hope we don’t drive each other too crazy over the upcoming weeks,” she added with a little chuckle. “What time do you think you’ll finish up today?”

“I dunno,” Drake said with a shrug. Since he was a naturally early riser, he’d been getting up and started on his files for the day hours before Riley was waking up, trying to get his work done by mid afternoon most days so that she didn’t feel banished to the bedroom too much. He knew she felt like a distraction to him when he was working, and though he didn’t want to admit it, she kind of was. “By 3:30, I’d guess.”

“Okay,” she replied, letting go of his hand and bouncing off the couch. “I guess it’s time for me to read up on my insurance options. I’ve been putting this off, but it’s probably better to sign up sooner rather than later.”

Drake frowned as she rounded the corner and went down the little hallway to their bedroom. He’d not thought about the fact that her being furloughed might impact her health insurance. He probably should have. Getting way better health insurance when he’d gotten hired as a permanent employee had been a big deal, after all. This employment-connected health insurance thing still just felt strange to him, though.

A thought occurred to him. He minimized the folder of digital files he was reviewing and cataloguing, pulling up instead a search engine. He landed on the city clerk’s website a couple of minutes later, scanning over the requirements, then checking the time. This could work.

“Hey, Liu!” he called out, striding over to the bedroom. Her laptop was in front of her as she lounged on her stomach, Anderson curled up right next to her. She glanced up as he reached the doorway.

“What’s up?”

“Let’s get married.”

She blinked a couple of times and pulled her head back slightly as she cocked it to the side, “Uhh, sounds good, but that was kind of already the plan.” She waved her left hand in the air, his grandmother’s ring catching the light intermittently. “I mean, I’m glad you still want to and everything, but seeing as I did just spend the whole morning rescheduling our entire wedding, I would have been pretty pissed at you if you changed your mind.”

Drake shook his head and rolled his eyes. “No, let’s get married tomorrow.”

Riley’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. We can go down to the city clerk’s office now and get our marriage license so we can get married tomorrow.”

“Where is this coming from?”

Drake walked over and sat down on the bed next to her, pointing toward her laptop. “You were going to go on my health insurance after the wedding anyway, right? So let’s do that now instead of having to pay for shitty coverage for you.”

She gave him a gentle little smile, closing her laptop and sliding up onto her knees next to him. She placed one hand between his shoulder blades, rubbing gentle circles before she spoke.

“You are a very sweet marshmallow of a man, you really are. But I know you. And I don’t want you to feel like we have to rush to do this now. We’ll be fine if we wait for the lovely wedding we planned down on the ranch with all of our friends there.”

He shook his head, “I want to do this. The question is, do you?”

“You don’t actually want to do this.”

“Of course I want to do this! You think I give a shit about who’s there or what we wear or if we have the right flowers or what we have for dinner?”

“ _Yeah_ , I do. Drake, you may not be much for pomp and glitz, but this wedding that we’ve been planning for _years_ now? I think it matters to you. I think you want Liam and Maxwell and Hana and your mother and sister and niece and nephew there. I think you want to hear our friends toast us and to see Maxwell make a fool of himself on the dance floor and to have Bartie be the ring bearer and that’s okay. It’s okay to want to celebrate with everyone. We can wait until we can do that. This doesn’t have to just be a… logistical arrangement.”

Drake paused for a moment. She wasn’t wrong, exactly. Those _were_ things he wanted. But right now, they seemed like little, insignificant details. 

“Look, Liu. You’re right. The thing that prompted me to think about marrying you right now was the practical reasons. But as everything becomes a total shit show, I just feel like the only protection I can offer you is this one. And in an ideal world - sure, I would want the nice little wedding we planned in Texas. But the world has changed a whole fucking lot in the past couple weeks, and nothing is exactly ideal anymore. And if my choices are waiting almost eight months to have the wedding we planned or to marry you tomorrow, I pick marrying you tomorrow. Because, yeah a wedding down on the ranch with our friends sounds great, but the whole point of that wedding is that I get to be your husband. And that’s all I really want.”

She gave him a warm smile and kissed him deeply, sliding her hand up his back and threading her fingers through his hair as his hands fell to her hips. After a few moments, she pulled back.

“So, you aren’t going to look back with regret and feel like we rushed things?”

“I’ve been ready to marry you for _years_. This doesn’t feel like we’re rushing. It feels like it’s about damn time. At least for me.”

Riley nodded, glancing down. Drake followed her gaze to her left hand, resting gently on her knees.

“It’s not a rush for me either.”

“So, what are you thinking? Should we get married tomorrow?” Drake asked, grabbing her hand in his, staring at her downturned face for a few seconds before she looked up and met his gaze.

“Yeah,” she said, a wide grin sliding onto her face, “Let’s fucking do this.”


	2. II

Riley checked over her appearance in the mirror, making sure her eyeliner looked even on both sides. It may be the middle of a pandemic, but she figured she was allowed a little vanity on her wedding day. Even if it was going to be a courthouse wedding with only one witness, she still wanted to look and feel like a bride, at least as much as was possible given the circumstances.

Finding a white dress had been difficult. Her actual wedding dress was with Hana for some “finishing touches” that she’d wanted to add, and other than a couple of button downs for work, white wasn’t really a color she ever chose for herself. For a hot minute last night, as she stood in front of the closet, taking in lots of bright and dark colors, she’d considered just saying “Fuck it” and wearing something red, but then she remembered the white dress she’d picked out for her bachelorette party when Hana was in New York a couple of months ago for a meeting with her North American directors. Sure, a white shift with some sparkly embellishments at the neckline and a hemline that was short enough that she had to be careful about bending over probably wasn’t the most “bridal” piece of clothing out there, but she had to work with what she had.

She really did want to make their elopement as close to a “standard” wedding as she could. As much as Drake insisted he was fully on board with eloping and that the details didn’t matter, as much as he would scoff if she ever mentioned it to him, she knew that the traditional marriage ceremony meant more to him than it did to her. He might not be big on over-the-top, storybook romantic gestures, but he definitely had more of a sentimental streak than she did, and she knew that part of him was going to miss having the chance to take those vows in front of friends and family, miss having those closest to them get together and celebrate taking that step. They hadn’t decided whether or not they were going to still have the reception in Texas as originally planned, but even if they did, Riley knew it wouldn’t feel quite the same for Drake.

To be honest, the thought of eloping had popped into Riley’s head numerous times over the past year or so. Back when they postponed the first time, a large part of her had wanted to march down to whatever municipal building they needed to and just do it. Growing up, it’s not like she dreamed of some fairy tale princess wedding or anything, and while the wedding she and Drake had put together sounded nice to her, it wasn’t something she needed. Plus, the thought of organizing everything _again_ for a later date had sounded just miserable. 

She’d thrown the idea out there once. Eloping had wormed its way back into her mind right after they’d gotten back from Cordonia, about one week after their wedding was supposed to happen. Not able to shake the thought, she’d hinted at just getting married soon in New York. She remembered laying there on their couch, her head in Drake’s lap as she painted her fingernails with turquoise glitter polish, Drake combing his fingers through her hair absentmindedly as he watched the 11 o’clock news. She’d told him it was such bullshit that they weren’t married, that she wasn’t good at waiting. He’d been sweet, thanking her and telling her it would be worth it in the end, but it had been clear to her that he still wanted to go through with the whole wedding down on the ranch, even if it would take them a bit to save up money for new deposits. She had known that if she’d told him point blank that she wanted to elope, he would have done it. But that wouldn’t have been fair to him.

But now that the world had changed so drastically, eloping was Drake’s idea. And while Riley was fully on board with this change in their plans, she knew there was probably a part of Drake that was going to mourn the loss of their outdoor wedding on the ranch. Since she knew he was doing this largely for her benefit, she figured the least she could do was try and make everything feel as much like a wedding as possible. Try and make everything feel more like a celebration, not a desperate move to get her health insurance.

So, she had scrambled to throw together something resembling their wedding last night, after they got back from the Marriage Bureau with their license in hand. Drake had logged in remotely for work, trying to get ahead as best he could, hoping to be done with his work for tomorrow by noon while Riley had flipped through the binder Hana had put together for them, full of tips and advice she gained from her own wedding. Some parts obviously got pitched out from the start. There would be no toasts, no music, no personalized vows. On the other hand, some tasks couldn’t be easier. They already had their rings, for instance, and as far as photographers went, well Daniel and a smart phone was really their only option.

All things considered, Riley felt like she’d done a decent job with what she’d thrown together. Truth be told, winging things and just rolling along, letting her whims guide her felt so much more natural to her than filling out all those damn charts and timelines and tables that Hana had given her. After all, so many moments in her life had been defined by impulsive decisions, including accepting Maxwell’s invitation and getting on that flight to Cordonia. Throwing together a wedding in 24 hours felt almost fitting.

Giving her appearance a last once over in the mirror, she threw her lipstick and eyeliner in her purse that already held their license, the rings, and their passports and walked out of their bedroom. She’d heard the locks on their front door, and the kitchen sink was running, so she knew Drake was back from taking out Anderson for a quick walk. It was time to go. 

“Alright, you ready?” Riley asked as she walked into the main living space and over to the door, grabbing her leather jacket off the hook and slipping it on. 

“Yeah, we’re just gonna have to hail a cab because Dryve is in surge. Probably everyone trying to avoid-” Drake replied as he shut off the water with his elbow and grabbed the towel, but he stopped abruptly as he looked up at Riley. “Damn.”

Riley smiled as she finished putting on her jacket, flipping her hair out of the way. Drake had insisted he didn’t want to see what she was wearing until the last minute, just further proof to her that he really did crave those wedding traditions. She walked over to him with an exaggerated roll of her hips, unable to resist teasing him just a little. “Avoid what?”

His eyes traced over her body slowly. “What?”

“What is everyone trying to avoid?” she widened her eyes, trying to make herself look as innocent as possible as Drake’s gaze left her legs and snapped back to her face. But he just shook his head slightly, giving her a little smile, not taking her bait.

“Shit, I need to change. You look perfect, and I’m just-”

Riley rolled her eyes, grabbing the lapels on Drake’s sport coat and pulling him down into a gentle kiss. “You don’t need to sweet talk me. I already put my name on the marriage license,” she quipped as she pulled back. 

Drake lifted his hand to cup her cheek, but stopped himself, instead giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’m serious, Liu. You’re so beautiful. Why did you tell me that jeans and a sport coat would be fine?”

“Because it _is_ ,” she said, shaking him lightly by his lapels, “While I’m glad you like this improvised look, keep in mind that this dress was originally intended to be worn to a trashy nightclub.”

“Does saying that I’m glad that didn’t happen make me a jealous asshole?” Drake asked, eyes roving over her legs quickly before jumping back to her face, “But seriously, I’ll go put on a suit if you want me to.”

She shook her head no emphatically. “You aren’t supposed to upstage a bride on her wedding day, Drake. Besides, you in some denim and me in some leather just kind of feels… right, ya know?”

He nodded slowly, sliding his hand from her shoulder down to her hand, lacing their fingers together. “So, you ready?”

“Absolutely.”

They walked the few blocks over to Church Avenue hand in hand, knowing they would have an easier time hailing a cab there than on their street. They had actually had a bit of a debate on how best to get to the Marriage Bureau, wondering if prolonged time stuck in a car with a driver would be riskier than braving the subway, but ultimately they’d decided one driver into Manhattan and one back would have to be safer than mass transit. Still, Riley could tell Drake was a bit on edge, particularly when their driver coughed once.

The traffic into lower Manhattan wasn’t terrible for a Wednesday afternoon, and soon enough they were pulling up outside the City Clerk Office building. Daniel was already there, standing off to the side of the steps, wearing a mask. Daniel being their witness was actually why they were going to the Manhattan location, not the slightly closer Brooklyn one. Daniel still lived in Manhattan, and his apartment was close enough that he could walk to this site. Since he now had no income coming in with the bar and restaurant closure order, it had seemed like a huge imposition to ask him to have to pay for transportation, particularly when his coming out for this at all was already a massive favor.

Daniel waved when he saw them getting out of the cab. “Are you guys excited?” he called out. When Riley had texted him with their plans and asked if he would possibly be willing to be their witness, he’d called back, very enthusiastic. After all, he’d told her, she never would have met Drake if it weren’t for him. “I brought a wedding present for you guys.”

Riley laughed as he handed them a bottle of hand sanitizer. “This is probably the most sought after item in the city. We’re honored.”

After buying a little bouquet of calla lilies from a vendor at Daniel’s suggestion, they made their way inside. Security guards were there, staggering different groups of people, trying to maintain some distance in the long, narrow room. The three of them presented their IDs with the license, Drake took the ticket with their number, and then all they could really do was sit on the light green couches and wait.

Riley could tell Drake was antsy. He would alternate between sitting next to her, knee bouncing up and down slightly and pacing in front of her. Under normal circumstances, a clearly anxious groom might be the butt of some joke, but today nearly everyone seemed on edge. The atmosphere was tense, like every person there was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. The Marriage Bureau was busy, and she was sure she and Drake weren’t the only couple scrambling to tie the knot. 

As she looked over at him, repeatedly checking the time on his watch, she just knew he was worried they wouldn’t get called up today. She understood why that had him on edge. Not only would they have exposed themselves to dozens of people for no good reason, but it probably wouldn’t be too many more days before the Marriage Bureau was shut down as a non-essential court service. She knew that marrying her and getting her onto his health insurance had cemented itself in his mind as the one thing he could do to keep her safe, and if he wasn’t able to do that, he would feel like a failure. 

She placed her hand on his thigh, hoping to both calm him and stop his fidgeting, but he just wove their fingers together and squeezed tightly, his leg continuing to bounce beneath their hands. Oddly enough, for all his anxiety over the whole situation, Riley felt calmer than she had in a long time. All the struggles to get that wedding in Texas rescheduled, only for the world to throw a pandemic at them and force them to change their date again now could be forgotten. They were getting married on a whim in their city, basically just the two of them. It felt right, in a strange way, to her.

After their number was called the first time, after they had paid the fee for the ceremony and taken care of the final paperwork with Daniel, Riley had hoped that Drake might calm down slightly. After all, the ceremony was definitely going to happen now. They’d already signed and dated the papers. But as they moved back towards the couches, Riley realized how foolish that hope was. Drake had worked himself into a ball of tension. If she didn’t find a way to calm him down soon, he would be miserable all the way through the ceremony.

Back in the day, she had some signals with Daniel, both for when she needed rescuing and when she needed him to back off. Granted, the backing off had usually been when a table of men had been a manageable level of flirty, but she flashed those three fingers behind her back at this point not because she was hoping for an excellent tip, but because she needed some one-on-one time with Drake. Thankfully, Daniel recognized her move quickly, excusing himself to the restroom.

Riley sat down on the couches, hoping that Drake would sit next to her so she could talk to him and get him back in a calm mood. However, he continued pacing in front of her. Sensing that she needed to break his mental cycle sooner rather than later, she called out. “I’m gonna need you to chill out, just a little bit. Otherwise, I’m gonna start thinking it’s the thought of marrying me that has you all stressed.”

“How can you even say-” Drake started, whipping his head around to face her, but stopping when he saw the look she was giving him. Letting out a big sigh and running his hand through his hair, he started again, “I just don’t like being stuck indoors with this many people. Maybe we should have worn masks like Daniel. I don’t know. It just makes me uneasy. And the longer we have to sit here, the more people that walk past, and every time someone coughs or sneezes, I just feel sick to my stomach. I thought this was a good idea, but now I’m wondering if we just took a really foolish risk.”

“Drake,” Riley said, shaking her head slightly, “ _everything_ we do these days is a risk. Either of us taking Anderson out is a risk. Next time we need to buy food will be a risk. Hell, I was still going into the office less than a week ago. We’re doing everything we can to minimize that risk, though. And that’s all we can do. Right?”

Drake nodded briskly, but he continued his pacing. Riley sighed, wishing she’d thrown a flask in her bag. A little bit of whiskey might help him take the edge off right now. But she hadn’t, plus she got the feeling that openly drinking in a government building might not be the best idea. Oh well, time to try another distraction technique.

“I’m not wearing any underwear,” she said quietly, hoping only Drake could hear her.

“What the hell, Liu?” he asked, stopping his pacing immediately to pivot to face her fully. 

She shrugged and glanced around. “I just wanted to take your mind off everything that’s stressing you out.”

“So your strategy was… to tell me you aren’t wearing underwear? Even though that’s not true?”

“You don’t _know_ it’s not true.”

He crouched down in front of her, staring straight into her eyes, trying to tell if she was bluffing or not. She just raised an eyebrow and gave him a coy little smile. 

“I don’t buy it,” Drake said after several moments, pushing himself back up to standing. However, he didn’t resume his frantic pacing.

“But you can’t _really_ be sure, can you?”

Drake rolled his eyes and shook his head, “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“Yup!” she responded brightly, dancing and shimmying a little in her seat before bursting out in laughter, “And you chose to tie yourself to me for life anyway!”

Drake chuckled, plopping down on the couch next to her. “What was I thinking?”

“It’s not too late. You could still make a run for it.”

“Nah,” Drake said, grabbing her hand and nodding at Daniel as he walked back over to them, “I already signed the paperwork.”

Maybe 20 minutes later, they were called over to the next room with several other couples. Knowing they would be up soon, Riley tucked her engagement ring in the box with their wedding bands and squirted some hand sanitizer into both of their hands. And then, C875 was being called, and suddenly they were walking into a room with a rainbow painting, one bench, and a podium. For all the years of planning, for all their waiting around this afternoon, it almost felt surreal that this was really happening. 

As Drake clutched her hands, she barely was able to process that the ceremony had started. But the officiant was there and was speaking, even though Riley wasn’t really listening to the words he was saying. All she could do was focus on Drake, staring at her with such intensity and such earnestness, she thought she might cry. 

As Drake said “Yes” in response to whatever the officiant had been saying and slid her rings onto her finger, she knew she should probably pay attention to the officiant, because her turn was coming up next. But all she saw was Drake, his large hands working so gently to put those rings onto her left hand. Those hands that had held her and clung to her and that had been a constant in her life for so many years now.

Once the rings were in place, she heard the officiant start speaking again, this time asking her if she promised to love, honor, cherish, and keep Drake as her husband. But all she could think about was the steadiness Drake had brought to her previously flaky existence, his utter understanding of her as a messed up human being, and his complete acceptance of both her flaws and strengths. So when the officiant paused, she said “Yes.” It didn’t matter that she’d missed half the words he was saying. Committing to this man who saw her as she was, who trusted her and who she trusted just as much was not a hard thing to do. So she grabbed his band out of the box and worked it on to his finger, hopeful that he knew the slight tremble in her hand came not from nerves, but from adrenaline.

Riley looked up to find Drake’s eyes locked on her face, and she gave him a small smile as the officiant finished the ceremony with some words that she still was finding it hard to focus on. Somewhere in there, she heard “state of New York” and “married,” but before she could fully process that Drake was now her husband, he was tugging her close and kissing her, sliding his hands around her waist as her arms looped around his neck instinctively, one hand snaking into his hair, the other still clutching her bouquet.

When they pulled apart, the officiant immediately handed them their marriage certificate before briskly walking out of the room. That was it. After years of planning and just over 24 hours of scrambling, they were officially married with a ceremony that couldn’t have taken more than 60 seconds. Riley couldn’t help but chuckle. It somehow felt perfect for them - take it slow until you decide to barrel full steam ahead had always been their pattern.

“Holy shit, Drake!” she said with a laugh, pulling him down for another quick kiss, “We’re married.”

“I know, Riley. I know.”

“I love you so much.”

“Yeah, me too. So damn much.”

She threaded her right hand into his left, noticing the way his ring felt against her fingers as she tugged him towards the exit. The world might be a mess of uncertainty, but they would face it together as a team.


	3. III

Part of Drake couldn’t quite believe that today was actually real. It felt sort of surreal still, even though he had the marriage certificate in his hand and was wearing a ring on his finger. Even though the officiant’s words still ran through his mind, pronouncing them married. It felt too much like a dream. But they _were_ married. She was his _wife_.

They were in their cab, back to their apartment. Obviously, no reception. No bars or restaurants were even open, except for takeout. But that was alright. Being married to her, that was what mattered. Who really cared if it didn’t happen as they planned?

“So, for our honeymoon, what do you think about Brooklyn?” Riley asked, settling in under the arm he’d thrown across her shoulders after giving the driver their address.

Drake chuckled, “Sounds great. You have a place in mind?”

“Yup! I found this little one bedroom apartment with absolutely no amenities, but it does come with a corgi.”

“Perfect. Hopefully it comes with the opportunity for digital filing of cases, because that’s what I really want to do.”

“But you finished your work for today, right?”

Drake nodded. It had been a pain in the ass, but he’d been able to take care of enough between last night and this morning that he would probably not draw attention to the fact that he’d taken this afternoon off. It had seemed stupid to tell his supervisor his plan when he’d been able to get the work done. The firm might be letting people work from home, but that didn’t change the fact that the leadership on his team was a bunch of frat bro assholes that would have absolutely made him use a half day of vacation.

“Good,” she said, turning her head and leaning over slightly so that her lips were practically on his ear, “I’ve got plans for you.”

Drake swallowed roughly, sparing a quick glance towards the cab driver before turning his head and kissing her. The only thing hotter than the promise her words held was the fact that she was now saying them as his wife.

After a few moments, Drake pulled back, not wanting to make the driver too uncomfortable, but Riley tugged him down again, deepening the kiss slightly. However, after several seconds, a loud buzzing sound interrupted them. Riley leaned back slightly, pulling her phone out of her purse.

“What the hell?” she said as she unlocked her phone. “I have six texts from Maxwell. Wait - seven.”

Drake watched her open up her messaging app, and she let out a big sigh almost instantly. She quickly titled her phone so he could read the screen.

😲😃😭🤗😤🥳

_That’s all my feelings_

_Because_

_OMG_

_YOU GUYS GOT MARRIED_

_YAY!!!_ 👰🤵🥂

_WITHOUT ME_

_BOO!!!!_ 😡👎👿

Drake glanced up from her phone, “How does he know?” They had decided it was better to tell Liam and Iris, Hana and Catherine, and Maxwell, Savannah, Bertrand, and the kids at the same time, and since they had plans for a Zoom call this weekend, that had seemed like the perfect opportunity. No hurt feelings at being the last to know, no guilt trips from Maxwell, and no judgement from his sister for eloping. However, Maxwell had apparently found out within 15 minutes of the ceremony.

“I have no idea how he-” Riley started, but stopped abruptly, “Shit. Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“I want to check if Daniel posted our photos to Pictagram.”

“Liu, I don’t _have_ Pictagram.”

“Yes, you do. Maxwell and I set that up for you like a year ago.”

“Yeah… I deleted it as soon as he left town.”

Riley rolled her eyes at him, but closed out her message thread with Maxwell and opened up her Pictagram account. Sure enough @liuthebagelbitch and @dw519 were tagged in numerous photos in Daniel’s account and story. Them signing the paperwork. Sitting on the couch waiting. Holding hands and saying vows. Putting on their rings. Kissing at the end of the ceremony.

“Maxwell must follow Daniel,” Riley said, scrolling through the feed, “Yup, squidwiththemoves has liked every single photo.” She sighed, exiting the app. “And he’s texted me ten more times. We have to call him.”

Drake nodded, but before Riley could even open her contacts list, a Facetime request popped up from Maxwell Beaumont. Letting out one last sigh, Riley swiped to accept the call.

“Hey Maxwell!”

“What the hell? I’ve been working on my speech for your ceremony for _years_ , Riley!”

“Wanna try that again?” Riley asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Maxwell sighed, “I mean, congratulations! I’m so happy you decided to get married without telling me or inviting me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry we didn’t consider you in _our_ wedding,” Drake called out, leaning into the view of the camera and rolling his eyes.

“Drake! How could you do this to me, buddy?”

“Do you really want me to answer that question, _buddy_?”

Riley elbowed him slightly, probably wanting him to not escalate the situation. Truth be told, Drake was only mildly annoyed at Maxwell making their wedding all about him. The bigger issue was going to be getting Maxwell to keep quiet about it until Sunday. That was basically four full days from now, and Maxwell had _barely_ been able to contain himself back when he found out that he and Riley were involved for half that time. 

“Sorry, Maxwell. But we didn’t want to wait again. Plus, I lost my health insurance, so now I’m able to go on Drake’s.”

“Why didn’t you guys tell me, though?”

“Because we wanted to keep this quiet and not make it everyone else’s business,” Drake grumbled.

“ _And_ ,” Riley added, shooting him a look before she continued, “we were planning to tell all you guys together on Sunday.”

“I just can’t believe I wasn’t there,” Maxwell said, shaking his head sadly.

“We wish you could have been. We really do. But you understand why that wasn’t an option, right?”

Maxwell nodded. “Yeah, I get it.”

“And do you think you could not mention it to anyone before we see everyone on Sunday?”

There was a long pause following Riley’s question before Maxwell responded, “I promise not to tell anyone else.”

“Maxwell… who have you told already?” Drake asked, the word ‘else’ jumping out in his mind.

“Not that many, people I swear!”

“Well, I just got a ‘congratulations’ text with several question marks from Hana,” said Riley, glancing at the notification that had flashed across the top of her screen.

“I had to find out if you had told her and not me!” Maxwell said, gesturing towards the screen emphatically with his free hand.

“And Iris just asked me if what she’s seeing is real,” Riley continued as another notification popped up.

“I wanted to make sure she wasn’t more looped in that I was!”

“And now Savannah’s asking if I really married her brother today.”

“Wait, why is my sister texting you and not me?” Drake asked as Maxwell continued his defense, saying “I mean, we live under the same roof, so of course I asked her what she knew.”

“Maxwell, is there anyone you _didn’t_ tell?” Riley asked, shaking her head.

“Well, Liam didn’t answer my calls, so he probably doesn’t know.”

“You told Iris!”

“Yeah, okay… fair,” Maxwell trailed off, clearly trying to find someone he hadn’t told. “This really isn’t my fault, though! You posted those pictures!”

“Daniel was our witness and photographer. He’s the one who posted them.”

“Well, then blame him. I just acted the way any normal person in my position would have acted.”

“Wanna try _that_ again?” asked Drake, prompting a chuckle from Riley.

“Fine, I just acted in a way that you guys should have totally predicted. In fact, part of me wonders if you wanted me to find out so that I would tell everyone, and you wouldn’t have to deal with the drama of telling them that you got married without them.”

“Maxwell!”

“Fine, I’ll let you go be nauseating newlyweds. Congrats, you two!” With a little wave, Maxwell ended the call.

“Well, I guess people know,” said Riley after a moment. 

Drake let out a sigh, tipping his head back against the top of the seat.

“You aren’t really upset, are you? I mean, I know we decided to tell everyone at once, but it’s not such a big deal that they know, is it?”

“Nah, it’s just annoying that instead of this just being _our_ thing for now, we’re gonna spend our entire wedding night on the phone with people.”

Riley let out a little burst of laughter at that, so Drake twisted his neck to glance at her. “What?” he asked.

“I think you are severely overestimating how many close friends we have. I bet we can finish this up before we even get back to our place.”

“ _Really_.”

“You take Liam and Iris; I’ll take Hana and Catherine. All our New York friends can wait, don’t you think?”

“What about Savannah?”

Riley paused for just a moment, “We can set up a video call with her and your mother tomorrow.”

“But she lives with Maxwell. She knows that-”

“She owes us our wedding day, Drake.”

Drake nodded. As much as he wished that Riley and his sister got along perfectly, he knew that Riley had a good point there. 

“So, I’m gonna call Hana. If you give Liam a call now, it can just be _our_ time when we get home.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice, so as she tapped Hana in her contact list, he unlocked his phone and scrolled to Liam in his recent contacts. The phone only rang twice before Liam answered.

“Yes, Iris. I see. Please let me actually talk to him, love?” Liam asked, his voice muffled and quiet initially before growing much louder. “Drake, I’m glad you called. You are apparently the source of great excitement here tonight.”

“Yeah… I didn’t mean to be-”

“Well, you are, my friend. Between my three missed calls from Maxwell about, and I quote ‘something that I probably wouldn’t consider an emergency, but he sure did’ and Iris bursting into my office with pictures of Riley and you pulled up on her phone, I’ve not been able to get very far in reviewing my nightly briefings.”

“Sorry about that. But, I… er, do have some news.”

“So I am gathering. It appears congratulations are in order,” Liam said. In the background, Drake heard a quieter “Congrats, you two,” that presumably came from Iris.

“Uhh, yeah. We decided to get married.”

“I’m guessing this was Riley’s idea?”

“What makes you say that?”

“She’s just a _touch_ more prone to impulsive action than you.”

“Well, you’re wrong this time.”

“This was you?” The shock was evident in Liam’s voice, and it did bring a smile to Drake’s face. It wasn’t often that Drake was able to surprise him.

“It was.”

“Congratulations, Drake,” Liam replied after a moment, “I’m truly very happy for both of you.”

“Sorry we didn’t-”

“ _No_. I’m happy for you. I’m not accepting any apologies as there is nothing that happened today for which you should feel even remotely sorry.”

“Thanks, Liam.”

“Can I talk to Riley?”

Drake glanced over at Riley, “She’s on the phone with Hana,” but she held up one finger and then held her free hand open, “but I think she’s about to wrap up and wants to talk to you, too.” Riley nodded in agreement.

“Excellent. And I mean it Drake, I know how much this means to both of you. So, truly, I wish you congratulations and nothing but happiness.”

Feeling a lump in his throat, Drake swallowed roughly. But before he could process the words of his oldest and dearest friend, Riley was snatching his phone out of his hand and passing her phone to him.

Hana and Catherine wished him brief, but heartfelt congratulations, but Riley was still on the phone with Liam after he said goodbye to them. He could only really hear her half of the conversation, and she wasn’t saying much, mainly listening to him apparently. Every so often, she would throw in an “of course” or “you know I will,” but other than a few chuckles, she was largely silent. Every so often, he would catch a word or two from Liam, but their conversation was basically a mystery to him.

It was a little strange, to think about how a couple of years ago, having to sit as an outsider while Liam and Riley shared something private would have filled him with a mix of jealousy and guilt and anger. Now, it was certainly a bit odd that his best friend seemed to have more to say to his… his wife than he did to him, but it wasn’t a bad feeling, necessarily. If anything, he was mostly curious, with just a bit of fear about what tales from their youth and adolescence he could be telling her. Those stories would require more explanations than he wanted to give tonight.

Eventually, the cab stopped in front of their building. As Drake paid their fare, Riley wrapped up the call with Liam.

“Thanks, Liam. We’re actually home now… Yeah, I know… You too. Stay safe, and we’ll talk to you guys in a few days.”

“What was that about?” Drake asked as Riley ducked under his arm as he opened the door to their building.

“Oh, he just had a lot of really mushy things to say about you.”

“I’m serious, Liu.”

“I wasn’t kidding. I think he basically gave me his best man speech just now,” she said with a shrug as she unlocked the door from the mailroom and started up the stairs to the second floor, “He just wanted to make sure I knew how lucky I was, I think.”

“Well, that’s fucking dumb. I’m the lucky one here.”

“This has all the markings of going on for a while. Why don’t we just agree that we’re both mad lucky and call it even?” Riley called over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway and pulled her keys out of her purse.

“Wait! I’m supposed to carry you through, right?” Drake remembered as Riley moved to push open the door.

She let out a little chuckle and rolled her eyes, but stood there expectantly, so Drake stepped up and scooped her into his arms, sliding one hand forward to turn the knob and open their door. Anderson came trotting over, eager to see his two humans, while Drake placed Riley down close to the door, not wanting to track their shoes and jackets too far into the apartment.

“He could probably use a walk,” Drake said, “and we should probably shower after spending hours out in public. How about I take him while you get started since washing your hair is always a… process.”

Riley swatted his chest lightly, but nodded in agreement. “You’ll join me when you get back?”

“Absolutely.”

Anderson took care of his business quickly, so it wasn’t too long before Drake was back in their apartment, hanging his sport coat up next to Riley’s jacket and kicking off his shoes. After washing his hands, he made his way into their bathroom, where the shower was running. The steam was already starting to get thick in the room, and eager to get out of his clothes and to join her, Drake quickly moved to drop his shirt on top of the pile of clothing she’d left next to the sink, but a scrap of tan lace caught his eye.

“I knew you were bluffing!” he called out as he fully removed his shirt and started undoing his belt and jeans.

“Huh?” asked Riley, peeking her head out from behind the shower curtain.

“About not wearing underwear. I knew you were full of shit,” Drake said as he stepped out of his pants and boxers, kicking them on top of the pile before climbing into the tub and under the water, sliding his hands into her long, black hair, somehow even darker now that it was wet, as she placed her chin against his chest and her hands on his hips, turning her face up towards his with a playful little smile.

He dropped his head to hers, pulling her into a passionate kiss, trailing his hands through her hair and down to her back. After a few moments, she tilted her head back. “As much as I like where this is headed, we should actually probably shower and not get too distracted,” she teased, trailing her hands around and squeezing his ass with a wink before she ducked past him and started rinsing out her hair. “Besides,” she added, “our track record for shower sex is not great.”

Drake couldn’t help but laugh as he opened up his bottle of shampoo and started lathering up his hair. Something about the floor of this tub was extra slippery, as they had learned the hard way not long after they moved in and then foolishly required repeat lessons about at numerous times. The worst was the time that he’d needed three stitches behind his ear after colliding with the tap as he fell backward, but the time Riley nearly dislocated her shoulder was a close second. “Yeah, a trip to urgent care would be pretty far from ideal at this point,” he said as he dropped a kiss to her forehead.

And so they both showered, trying to keep any touches light and loving, not wanting things to escalate just yet, but the sight of Riley with water trailing all over her naked curves was obviously turning Drake on. Based on the way she dragged her hand across him as she reached for her body wash, she was feeling the same way. By the time she was rinsing off and stepping out of the shower, Drake was scrambling to finish up, wanting to join her as soon as possible.

When he finally turned off the water and stepped out, there she was, wrapped up in her lime green towel, working a comb through her hair. She smiled at him through the mirror, her skin still looking like it was almost glowing from the warmth and water. As he drew up behind her, he slid his hands around her waist and dropped his lips to her shoulder, prompting Riley to shake her head.

“Drake, at least let me finish working out the tangles,” she said before letting out a little sigh as he worked his way over to the side of her neck, biting down ever so lightly when he reached that spot that always drove her wild.

“Who cares?” Drake mumbled into her skin, working his fingers to gather up the towel and moving one hand to her now-exposed thigh, “You aren’t gonna be seeing anyone anyway.”

Riley shuddered, dropping her comb to the counter before snaking her hand behind his neck as he slid his fingers to her center, his touch still light and teasing. “Maybe I want to look good for my husband,” she sighed out, moving her other hand to the knotted portion of the towel across her chest.

Drake groaned. Was her statement supposed to slow him down? Because hearing the word ‘husband’ coming from her lips? Talking about him? Well, fuck. It turned him on even more. Riley had to know what that sentence would do to him, right? So, he increased the pressure of his fingers, stroking her in the way he knew she loved before sliding a finger inside her. The angle wasn’t perfect, but he could feel her arousal and the fact that she practically growled “Fuck” as she clawed her fingernails into his neck seemed to indicate that she was just as ready to keep going as he was.

After a few moments, Drake stilled his motion when Riley grabbed his wrist. She spun, letting the towel fall to the ground and hopped up onto the small counter. She tugged him between her legs, but Drake shook his head.

“Our bed is just a few feet away,” he protested as Riley wrapped her hand around him, causing him to question why he was trying to change _anything_ going on here.

“But it’s nice and warm in here,” she responded, dropping kisses along his jaw, “and I’ve never been good at waiting, Drake. We can be all tender and gentle later. For now, I just want you to fuck your wife.” She punctuated the last words by biting down lightly on his earlobe. Letting out a groan, he brushed her hand away and lined himself up, sinking into her. He hadn’t wanted their first time as a married couple to feel like some frantic quickie, but it had always been nearly impossible for him to deny her anything. So he started rocking his hips into her, reveling in the feel of her around him. The scrape of her nails along his shoulders. Her breath across his cheek.

As he shifted his stance slightly to fill her an angle he knew would be better for her, he caught a glimpse of their reflection in the mirror. There it was, a gold band on his ring finger, resting along her spine. It was almost hard to look away, so he just kept staring at it, soaking in the sight that proved they were married. It mixed with the feel of her hands digging into his skin and her legs hooked around his back, the sound of her breathy sighs and whispered “fucks,” the taste of her skin of her neck, and the smell of her peach body wash, spurring him on and increasing his pleasure.

Sensing that he was heading towards his peak a little quicker than she was, he tore his left hand off her back, sliding it between their bodies. He glanced down to where they were joined, his thumb circling roughly right above that, his ring pressed against the skin of the thigh he clutched. He slammed his eyes shut and dropped his face into the crook of her neck, not needing any additional stimulation. But soon, he felt Riley’s leg clench around him a little more.

“Are you close?” he murmured into her ear.

“Yes,” she moaned out, arching her back slightly. He wasn’t sure if she was specifically answering his question or not, but her response was enough of an answer regardless. Picking up his pace, Drake stroked his thumb harder. He knew he was seconds away from release when he felt her clench around him. He barely was able to recognize her climax before he shattered, spilling into her as he groaned into her skin.

After a few breathless moments, Drake felt his awareness returning. He slid out of her and shifted up, reaching behind her for a washcloth off the rack, dropping a kiss along her cheek as he stood up fully and helped her off the counter.

He wanted to tell how much he loved her. How much he would always love her. How he would always try to prevent her from ever regretting today. But any words he could think of didn’t feel like they were enough to actually describe his feelings, so he settled for gentle caresses and light kisses as they got cleaned up. Before they moved to go to their bedroom to get dressed, Drake grabbed her wrist and tugged her back to him, kissing her deeply.

“I’ll make us something nice for dinner, Liu. Okay?” he said as he pulled back, running his hand through her wet hair.

She nodded and gave him a bright smile before responding, “And I have an idea for dessert.”

He raised an eyebrow at that, “ _You_ have an idea in the kitchen?”

Riley just shook her head. “Yes, you ass. And not only will I _not_ mess it up, but I _know_ you’ll like it.”

Dinner was a quiet affair, Riley having thrown on some acoustic cover songs in the background and lighting a couple of candles they had leftover from their Valentine’s dinner while Drake cooked up a couple of steaks, some roasted potatoes, and some sauteed frozen squash. It wasn’t a perfect meal, but he thought he’d done a decent job finding something special for them out of their stock. He’d been surprised when Riley had set their glasses of whiskey on the coffee table instead of their dining table, but he got it once she’d tucked her legs under herself and curled up against his side on the couch. It was cozy and warm and intimate and felt right for the way they’d gotten married.

After they finished eating, Drake started loading the dishwasher and soaking the pans while Riley dug around in the tall cupboard they used as their pantry and then pulled something out of the fridge.

“You better not be baking something,” Drake told her over his shoulder, “Eggs are too hard to find these days to use them in a kitchen adventure of yours,” chuckling lightly as he felt a towel whip between his shoulder blades.

“If you’re done being a smart ass, I’m ready for you.”

Drake shut off the faucet and turned to face her, a smile slipping onto his face as he took in the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars on the counter.

“I know it’s not exactly a wedding cake, but I figured we could do s’mores over the stove,” she said, settling in next to him.

“It’s perfect, Riley,” he said, slipping his hand into hers as he noticed an apple sitting off to the side, “but why the apple?”

“Oh, well I thought we could still do the apple-cutting,” she said with a little shrug, placing her chin against his shoulder, “I mean, I wasn’t sure if someone else needed to be there for this tradition or not, but I just thought it might be nice.”

Drake squeezed her hand, grabbing a knife out of the block and handing it to her. That she had remembered the one Cordonian wedding tradition he’d mentioned incorporating into their reception and thought to do it today was so perfectly _her_. Not snarky her, when she was annoyed at others or the world or at him. Not playful her, who would tease and laugh and lighten the room. But thoughtful her, who saw forgotten and neglected and broken people and made sure that at least for a moment, they felt seen and heard.

“So, just carve your initials,” Drake instructed, reluctantly dropping her hand so she could pick up the apple.

“Old or new?”

“What?”

“My old initials or my new initials?”

The weight of the day hit him again. Maybe this wasn’t the wedding they’d planned, but it was still their day. Their commitment. Their promise. And that meant more than having Maxwell as the officiant or getting married where his parents did or hearing toasts from Liam or Hana ever could. Watching the woman he’d loved for years, who he knew he’d love for all the years ahead, carve “RW” into that apple was plenty special.

He knew Riley could read him and his mood. She had always been good at that even before they lived together, so it didn’t surprise him that she kept quiet as he carved his own initials into the apple, then cut out a slice for them to share. She had to know he was dangerously close to being overwhelmed, so she didn’t push, just ate her portion of the apple before taking a step to the side and lighting one of the burners. After spearing a couple of marshmallows onto two forks, she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the stove with her. They toasted their marshmallows without saying anything and without letting go. They were ready to face the good and the bad, together and united. The world was changing, but _their_ world felt steady and sure.


End file.
